Draft-rigging-key retainer



Patented Ang.. ld, tm

wfnmmn A. amena, or cnicas-o, rnnrnorsassenon ro w. n. ivrrnnn, rnc., or

CHICAGO, 'ILL'EIG A oonrona'rron or nnnawann.

appncanon inea october 1a, 1925.

'railway draft rigging adjacent the `key re- Vceiving opening thereof, and having a section thereofoverlapping the corresponding end of Vthe key to prevent accidental removal of the key outwardly ofthe sill.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a retaining means of the character described which may be attached to one or both of the draft sills of a. railway underframe, whereby either a headed key of the usual type or plain unheaded key in the form of a flat bar 'may be employed. Y

@ther objects of myin'vention will more fully appear from the description and claims hereinafter following. A

ln the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away and partly in section, of a portion of a railway draft rigging showing my improvements in connection therewith. And `Figure 2 is a vertical, transverse sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 2-*2 of Figure 1.

ln said drawings 10-10 indicate the usual channel-shaped center or draft sills of a railway car underframe having front and rear stop lugs secured to the inner sides thereof. The front stop lugs only are shown in the drawing and are designated by 11-11. lihe inner end of the draw bar is indicated by 12,to which is operatively connected a hooded yoke 13 of usual form. The draw bar and the yoke are provided, respectively, with alined openings 1li and 15 adapted t0 receive a key 16. The key illustrated in the drawings is ofthe headless type, being in the form of a substantially flat bar. The opposite ends of the bar or key 16 work in the usual alined key-receiving slots 17-17, provided in the'draft sills.

adjacent end of the key.

Serial No. 61,929.

The draft lugs are also provided with key receiving openings 1S aliued with the openings 1T of the sills. As most clearly shown in Figure the key 1G is of such a length as to'exi'end outwardly beyondthe planes of the draft sills.

` A pair of retaining members 19-19 are associated with each key 16 of the draft rigging, each retaining member being in the Vforni of a Z-bar haring vertically disposed sections Q0 and 21 and a horizontally disposed intermediate section 22, Each Z-bar 1f) detachably secured to the web of the corresponding draft. sill .10 by any suitable means, preferably by retaining bolts 23, acconnnodated in the usual receiving openings of the draft sills and stop lugs. its most clearly shown in Figure EZ, the Z-bars disposed below the key-receiving openings 1i' of the draft sills and each bar has the horizontal section 22 thereof preferably disposed in alignment with the lower edge of the corresponding key receiving opening, thereby forming afsupportii'ig ledge for the 'lhe section 21 of the Z-bar 19, which is vertically disposed, cooperates with the outer end of the key to prevent `accidental removal thereof in a direction outwardly of the sill. A certain amount of clearance is provided between the ends of the key and the vertical sections 21 of the Z-bars 19, thereby permitting play between the parts and reducing wear on the retaining members to a minimum. As most clearly shown in Figure 1, the sections 21 are of such a width longitudinally of the sills that they will at all times overlap the corresponding ends of the key during the extent of movement of the same in the slots 17 of the sills.

lt will be evident that the key may be asily removed or replaced by detaching either one or both of the retaining members 19 associated therewith. inasmuch as the key may be removed in either direction outwardly of the sills, it will be evident that detachment of the saine is greatly facilitated in case the key becomes jammed or wedged in one .direction or removal thereof is prevented by an obstruction.

Although only one key and set of cooperating retaining members is shown in the drawings, it will be evident that my invention may be applied to any or all of the keys of a railway draft rigging employing lut l a plurality of keys, in which case a retain- .bination With ing means of the type shown is employed in connection With each key. Y

It Will also Vhe evident thatV my improved retaining means may be employed in con- Vlnection with the usual key of the headed type, in which instance the retaining means is applied to one sill `only and cooperates with the headed end of the key.

Although I have herein shown and described What I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes .and modifications that come .Within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

claim: A 1.,]n a railway draft rigging, the coindraft sills having alined key receiving openings and a connecting. key

-Working in said openings and having the ends thereof projecting through the sills and same; of means for limiting endwise movement of said key to retain it in assembled relation with the draft rigging, said means including a detachable, rigid bracket fixed to each sill adjacent the key receiving opening thereof,

each of said brackets having one .end section thereof secured to a draft'slll and having the other free end section thereof overlapping the corresponding end of the key.

2. In a railway draft rigging, the combination with draft sills having vertically disposed Web sections provided with aligned key receiving openings and a key having the opposite ends thereof Working in said open- -ings; of a one-,piece rigid retaining element detachably secured to the vertical web of one secured to the outer side of said end of said key of the sills below'l the key receiving opening, said bracketfhaving an upwardly extending Y, free endv section overlapping a portion of the the key in anyrlongitudinal position ofthe latter While Within said slot to prevent accidental removal of the key outwardly of said sill.

In a retaining means for a connecting key of a draft rigging, wherein the key eX- tends transversely of the sills and hasV one end thereof projecting,outwardly beyond the plane of one sill .through the slot therein, the combination. with a retaining element sill, said retainingelement having a horizontalsection supporting the corresponding end section of the keyv and a vertically free endseetion overlapping a. portion v.of the corresponding toV prevent accidental removal of the keyfrom the corresponding side of the draft sills. Y Y

el. In a railway draft rigging, bination with spaced aligned vkey receiving openings and a concorresponding end of the com-V Vnecting draft rigging key Working in said bar having one ofthe iianges thereof dis-` draft sills having sides of the sills; of a reposed outwardly of the corresponding end ,Y

of the key and overlapping said end to prevent `accidental removalV Wardly of said sill. .y

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 8th day` of October 1925.

WILLIAM A. GEIGER. y

of the key out-Y 

